The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-06-17
BRIDES FAvoRs.
Something About a Custom that
Originated with the Normans
and Danes.
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the custom Of brides favors" at weddings
These seem to have originated with the Nor
mans and Danes. A knot, among the North
ern natives, was the symbol of plighted
faith and friendship. Hence the interchange
Of 'true-love knots" between lover and mis-.
tress pointed to the indissoluble nature OF
their vows Of mutual affection and duty.
The Scots, from their early intercourse with
the Danes and Norwegians, were the first OF
the British tribes to adopt the custom. The
name 'true-loye knot" is not derived. as .
casual glance would indicate, from the En-
glish words 'true" and ''love," but from the
Danish verb ''trulofa," which means 81
plight my troth." In the first chapter of the
Icelandic gospel of st. Matthew we read '.til
einrar Meyar er trulofad var einum Name"
|. e. ito a virgin who was espoused (or
plighted) to man." Gay, in one of his pas
torals called Spell" thus describes a rustic
method Of knitting the true-love knot:
As Lubberkin once slept beneath tree,
switc9ed Gus dangling garter from his knee.
Now mine quickly don of inkle blue;
Together fast tie the garters twain
And, while knit the knot, repeat this strain -
Three times true loves not tie secure;
Firm be the knot, firm may his love endure"
From the peasantry the knotted ribbon. as
an emblem of conjugal fidelity, crept up into
arlstocratic usage; and at marriages OF per-
sons OF distinction, knots Of ribbons were dis
triDuted to all the guests, and were worn in
France on the arm, in England on the hat.
Ozell, in note to his translation Of ssMis-
slon's Travels in England" %. 35O). saws
The favor was large knot of ribbands. of
several colours, gold, silver, carnation and
white. This Is worn upon the hat for some
III Il
'Formery, In France, they gave liyrees de
noces, which was a knot Of ribbands, to be
worn by the guests upon their arms: but
this is practlced new only among peasants.
In England il is still done among the great
est noblemen. These ribbands they call IA
vors, and give them not only to those that
are at the wedding, but to 5O0people besides .
To the variety of colors in the brides IA
yors used formerly q believe no color but
wnlte Is In vogue at present., Ben johnson
alludes, in his play of the Silent Woman.
where Lady naughty addresses Morose with
Let us know your brides colours and yours
at least"
In curious old book, entitled "The Fiji
teen Comforts OF Marriage" a conferences Of
bridesmaids let's us into the notions held by
our ancestors with regard to the symbolism
the bridal couch with yellow ribbons. as that
color is the emblem of jealousy; nor with
fenille mort, as that signifies fading love
but with true-blue, signifying constance
and green, denoting youth-so that the COM
binatlon would represent youthful con-
stancy. One lady proposed blue and black,
to indicate constancy till death objected to.
on account OF the ill-matching Of those col
olrs. Violet was proposed as emblematical
OF TeifeTca'1; objected to, as too grave. AT
lasl tney con, =" to mingle gold tissue
WI Sr.aass-srS later signifies youth
iui Joiilty. roI s favOrs, t0p-knots
ana carriers, tne " proposed blue.
2old-c0lor, p0ppin. emon-color
Her assistants obje, color sig.
nified avarice and Do wantoS
ness. Then the you ia nro-
posed to mingle fame, vii
low and milk-white. COM
binati0n was rejected ,olor
was liable to the obi, ter-
probation Of lasciviousne, w
meant forsaken. Further dl. !
ed the fact that red was /.
justice, and sea-green of inconst.
~, the mllliner fixed the colors
For the fay0rs, blue, red, peach
orange-tawny; for the young lat.
knots, hame-color, straw-color (siA
plenty, peach-col0r, grass-green anL
white; and for the garters a perfect v,
signlfying honor and Joy.
Inc use OF bridesmaids at weddings
custom as old as the time of the Angio-Sa.
ons, among whom, as Strut informs us, il
his work on Manners and Customs :" 1.-The
the brides women, followed by a company
OF young maidens who were called the bride
maids" subsequently it was the office of
the maids to conduct the bridegroom to
church cil, while the groomsman led the bride
tnlther. Thus, in an old book entitled 1.-THE
History of John Newcombe, the Wealthy
Slothler OF Newbery, the author. describing
the marriage of the hero, says: "After nee.
came the chiefest maidens Of the country.
some bearing bride-cakes and some garlands
made OF wheat finely gilded, and SO passed
tween two sweet boys, with bridelaces and
rosemary tied about their silken sleeves the
one was Sir Thomas Parry, the other Sir
Francis Hungerford."
The provincial poem Of the sCollier's We'd
ding, cited by Brand in his Popular Anti
feet:
Two lusty lads, well drest and strong.
Steppd cut to lead the bride along;
And two young maids of eqnal size,
AS soon the bridegroom's hands surprise
Similarly, we read in Brookc's '.England's
Helicon:"
Forth, honeur'd groome; behold. not tfar behind.
Your willing bride, led by two strengthless boys.
The. groomsmen were anciently called
bride Knights. Those who led the bride to
cnurch were always bachelors, but those
who conducted her home were married men.
pIoiydore xergil, who wrote in the time of
henry Will, informs us that in coming
home from church the bride was preceded BY
a third married man. bearing, instead of 4
torch, vessel Of silver or gold, This was
doubtless what was known as the bride-cup
| n the marriage Of John Newcombe (lereto-
fore cited the writer, describing the bridal
procession, says: "There was a fair bride
cup of silver-gilt carried before her, wherein
was a goodly branch of rosemary, gilded
very fair and hung about with silken rib
bands of all colours"
The difference in the offices of ancient and
of modern groomsmen finds another illustra-
ton in Beaumont and Fletcher's Scornful
Lady: Were these two arms encompassed
with the hands Of bachelors to lead me to
tha al, ~ ~NAN w